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ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

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Beitbridge

Zimbabwe, South Africa

Modernising Southern Africa's Busiest Land Border

The Zimbabwe-South Africa Beitbridge Border Post is a key access point to our northern neighbors.

For years this critical link has been dogged by outdated infrastructure and long waiting times, exacting a heavy toll on frequent travelers and many multi-million Rand industries that use this border post.

Here's how we contributed to a multi-year modernisation project at the border post.

The Beitbridge Border Post with freight trucks seen queuing in the background.

Our Work Begins

The project was implemented by ZINARA and SANRAL at a cost of approximately R1.2 billion.

On the South African side, a new state-of-the-art facility was built to replace the old border post.

The new facility includes a modern passenger terminal building, cargo terminal building and a new bridge over the Limpopo River.

The new bridge is wider and higher than the old bridge, allowing for the smoother flow of traffic and reducing the risk of flooding.

On the Zimbabwean side, the existing facilities were renovated and upgraded to meet modern standards. There has also been a huge amount of supporting infrastructure developed to serve the Beitbridge Municipality.

Roadlab Zimbabwe was appointed the project site laboratory to safely facilitate this new construction as well as the renovations.

To this end, we performed geotechnical investigations including DCPs and plate loads and earthworks investigations like nuclear densities.

Construction Continues

In addition to the primary infrastructure, an immense amount of work was required to modernise Beitbridge.

To ensure adequate water supply to Zimababwe's fastest growing town, an 11.4ML reservoir was constructed.

You can watch the impressive final stage - floating the 1 500 ton reservoir roof up using water and then rotating it by hand - below.

The project also involved the construction of 220 staff housing units, a new fire station, an animal quarantine facility and an oxidation dam.

As the dedicated site laboratory, Roadlab provided the soil and concrete testing services that enabled these impressive major works and concrete structures.

The Beitbridge Border Post after much construction has been completed.

Conclusion

The modernisation project has been a significant investment for both countries.

The new facilities and infrastructure have improved the efficiency of the border post, reducing waiting times for travelers and freight.

In addition to the 1300 jobs created by the construction of the work, much of the infrastructure - particularly the new reservoir - directly benefits the residents of the Beitbridge Municipality and will continue to do so long after the conclusion of work.

Our most recent efforts, a geotechnical investigation at the Beitbridge Traffic Control Centre, reflects the ongoing maintenance and efforts to maximise the value of the Beitbridge Border Post beyond the formal conclusion of work last year.